Loras College Announces President Jim Collins’ Contract Extension

5/24/2013

Loras College Board Chair, John Schmidt, announced today the unanimous decision by the Board of Regents to extend President Jim Collins’ contract by an additional four years.

Collins began serving as Loras’ 26th president in June 2004. In June 2008, the Board of Regents offered an unprecedented six year contract to Collins which is set to expire in May 2014. This new contract replaces his current agreement and extends Collins’ term as President through May 2018.

Schmidt commented, “During the past year, the board of regents and I facilitated a comprehensive evaluation of President Collins’ performance. In addition to the board’s high praise, faculty, student, alumni and staff representatives all voiced their collective support for Jim’s strong leadership. He has positioned us well as an outstanding Catholic, liberal arts institution and led us through the extraordinarily challenging times in higher education. Throughout, he has earned widespread respect on campus, in the local community, throughout the region and nationally.”

When Collins was elected on February 27, 2004, then Board Chair Kevin Malone stated, “Jim brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for Loras and its mission.” At Collins’ October 1, 2004 inauguration, Board Chair Tom Tauke called Collins “a keeper” and when announcing his earlier contract extension, Tauke said, “Loras is on the move and we have taken this unprecedented step to assure that President Collins will be leading the College as we implement a new, ambitious strategic plan.”

In making today’s announcement, Schmidt stated, “Jim brought stability to the presidency, renewed confidence in the College and provided an unwavering commitment to the people of Loras, especially our students. As a result, the impressive numbers of national and international accomplishments that have been achieved and continue to mount are staggering. As we prepare to celebrate our historic 175th anniversary as Iowa’s first College, the Board of Regents wanted to reaffirm our confidence in President Collins’ ability to lead us to even brighter future. It is not lost on us that this announcement is historic as Jim will soon be the longest serving President in Loras’ history.”

A native of Crystal Lake, Ill., Collins began his career with Loras in 1984 as an admissions representative. In his 29 years of service to the college, he held positions as director of special projects, director of alumni and college relations, interim director of development, assistant to the president and vice president for institutional advancement. In 1999, he was appointed the college’s senior vice president.

An active member of the Dubuque community, Collins currently serves on the executive committee for the Greater Dubuque Development Corporation and on the Carnegie Stout Library Foundation Board. At the state level, he is Chair of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (IAICU), Vice-Chair of the Iowa College Foundation (ICF), and an appointed member of the Governor’s Healthiest State Initiative Committee. Nationally, President Collins was recently elected as Treasurer of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), serves on the Seton Hall Board of Regents and is a member of the NCAA III President’s Advisory Committee. He recently finished his term as Executive Committee member for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).